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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Sam Houston State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/sam-houston-state-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/sam-houston-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/sam-houston-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/sam-houston-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/sam-houston-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Sam Houston State University cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Sam Houston State University is $25,505. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $7,320 and required fees of $4,050 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $11,984.

Out-of-state tuition is $19,470. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $16,404, meaning aid lowers the average cost by $9,101.

That average net price is $770 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #437 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

[Net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s vary by family income, and the overall cost sits above the comparable peer median. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,404 overall: $12,474 for the lowest income band and $24,101 for the highest.

That is $770 above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who completed have median federal student loan debt of $21,983, $1,907 above the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 69th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Both comparisons are above their peer medians.

Families with lower reported incomes see lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s at Sam Houston State University. For aid recipients from families earning under thirty thousand dollars, the average net price is $12,474; it is $13,389 for thirty thousand one dollars to forty-eight thousand dollars, $15,540 for forty-eight thousand one dollars to seventy-five thousand dollars, $21,366 for seventy-five thousand one dollars to one hundred ten thousand dollars, and $24,101 above one hundred ten thousand dollars.

The lowest band applies in a university where 41.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,627.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$12,474

**$30–48K**
$13,389

**$48–75K**
$15,540

**$75–110K**
$21,366

**$110K+**
$24,101

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$16,404**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For the average aid recipient, Sam Houston State University has a substantial gap between its published cost and what remains after aid. The published cost is $25,505, while the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,404.

Aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $9,101. Prices differ sharply by reported family income: the average net price is $12,474 under thirty thousand dollars, $13,389 from thirty thousand one dollars to forty-eight thousand dollars, $15,540 from forty-eight thousand one dollars to seventy-five thousand dollars, $21,366 from seventy-five thousand one dollars to one hundred ten thousand dollars, and $24,101 above one hundred ten thousand dollars.

The spread between the endpoint averages is $11,627, a pattern that places lower average prices with lower-income aid recipients.

Price varies sharply by family-income band at Sam Houston State University, where the published cost of attendance is $25,505. For aid recipients in the lowest-income family band, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,474; it is $13,389 in the lower-middle band and $15,540 in the middle band.

The upper-middle family-income band averages $21,366, compared with $24,101 for the highest-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,627.

Azimuth ranks the university #437 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, offsetting $9,101 against the sticker price.

Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $16,404. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, and this university's average is $770 above that figure.

Aid reduces the listed cost, though the overall average remains above the comparable-institution median. Federal borrowing is common among undergraduates, with 84.2% taking federal loans.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $21,983. The peer median debt at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076, putting this median $1,907 above the peer figure.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing for parent borrowers is $19,433. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Borrowing is common: 84.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $21,983. That median stands above the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $1,907.

Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $19,433. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 59% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $27,529 per borrower.

The figures include federal loans for 58% of graduates, averaging $22,708. They also include private loans for 10% of graduates, averaging $28,561.

At Sam Houston State University, modeled earnings exceed expectations, but borrowers' median debt is above the peer median. Four years after completion, graduates earn a median $57,044, placing that figure in the 39th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $4,840 more than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings scenarios based on the program mix set downside earnings at $46,564, typical earnings at $57,044, and upside earnings at $74,481. Median federal debt at completion is $21,983, $1,907 above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. Higher-than-expected earnings and comparatively higher debt pull the financial picture in different directions.

Among parent borrowers, median federal borrowing is $19,433, separate from student borrowing. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$19,433

**Estimated parent payment**
$247/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$21,983

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$19,433

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$250/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$247/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$497/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $57,044, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**8.7%** of income above the allowance · Good

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=sam-houston-state-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.